RICE CULTIVATION IN INDIA. 29 



in six hours. When the straw is to be kept whole the rico is thrashed 

 1)V beatiiiji- the heads over the edge of a ])lank. 



Duriiiii- the liarvest and thrashing time the farmer has to We eon- 

 stantly on the wateh to see that the paddy is not stolen by dishonest 

 lal)ort'rs. He frequently builds a straw hut close to the thrashing 

 floor in whieh he can sit and sleep. It is a regular custom to surround 

 the pile of paddy with a ring of ashes so that it can not be approached 

 without evidence. 



WAC.KS. 



Money wages are not usually paid. In some cases the reaper gets 1 

 load out of every 21 he cuts. In other cases he gets !(► or 12 pounds 

 of paddy for a day's work. Usually he receives 6 pounds of paddy 

 and half a pound of cleaned rice. Laborers are generally employed 

 ])y the year, and the wages paid are much less than the above, averag- 

 ing about 2 cents per day. The ordinary plan upon which crops are 

 raised is to form a farmers'' club. For this purpose five to ten farmers, 

 each the owner of a pair of bullocks and a plow, form a club to help 

 each other plow their lands. 



COST OF Cl'LTIVATIOX. 



The ryot never keeps any account of his expenses, and hence it is 

 difficult to estimate the cost of cultivating an acre of rice; but allow- 

 ing customary wages and estimating the time required for the work 

 performed, the following is an approximation of the cost on an acre 

 of land where rice is sown broadcast: 



Plowing 4 times, 12 clays' work for 1 man and a pair of Inillocks, at 3 cents 



per day ?0. 36 



Carrying and spreading manure, 4 men 1 day - 08 



82S pounds seed paddy 32 



One plowing and harrowing after seeding, 3 teams 1 day 08^ 



One weeding, 20 women 1 day, at 2 cents 40 



Repairing levees, 16 men 1 day, at 2 cents 32 



Reaping, 16 women 1 day 32 



Carrying the bundles of paddy to the thrashing place or floor 04 



Thrashing, 4 men and 10 bullocks 1 day, at 2 cents for each man and 1 cent 



for each bullock ^^ 



Cleaning and winnowing, 3 men 1 day 06 



Rent of iirst-class land per acre 96 



Additional charges per acre 12 



3.24^ 

 Yield of first-class land, 1,010 pounds of paddy, valued at 3. 84 



Profit per acre 'J^J 



The foregoing estimate, obtained from the most reliable authority, 

 is impressive because it shows the low condition of agriculture in this 

 Himalayan district. The wages of a man one da}- — 2 cents— and the 

 charges for the use of an ox one day — 1 cent — are prices below our 

 conception of values of labor. 



